MORE than 20 HGV drivers and admin support staff have been fired in what a union is calling ‘unfair’ and a product of ‘soulless corporate self-interest’.

Carlisle family firm Bimson, as well as haulage company Wincanton and brick-making company Ibstock, were accused of this by the union Unite, who represent the workers.

The staff were employed by Wincanton, on a contract for Ibstock, which was recently transferred to Bimson.

A spokesperson from Unite said: “Wincanton fired the workers without redundancy or remaining holiday pay on July 3 this year, saying Bimson has a duty to employ them on the same terms and conditions they were previously employed on.

“Wincanton says Bimson must do this because the company is liable under Transfer of Undertaking (Protection of Employment) legislation, known as TUPE.

“Carlisle-based Bimson, which claims to be a family firm and boasts of its high pay and charitable endeavours, has refused to do so.

“Ibstock, meanwhile, is refusing to intervene to ensure that the staff, who have worked on its behalf for years, are treated fairly.

“All three companies are profitable multimillion-pound firms.”

Under the current circumstances, which Unite claim is unlawful, the workers have been left without redundancy pay from Wincanton.

At the same time, they cannot TUPE transfer their length of service benefits, terms and conditions or current pay scales if they take up employment with Bimson, which will treat them as new starters on standard contracts.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham described the treatment of the workers as ‘vile’ and added: “They can rest assured that Unite will pursue every avenue to ensure these workers get justice.”

A spokesperson from Bimson said: “We recognise how stressful and unsettling this ongoing situation is for the Wincanton individuals concerned. 

“However, we have always maintained since the start of this year that we do not believe that the Transfer of Undertaking (Protection of Employment) legislation is applicable.

“We have had an ongoing dialogue with Wincanton over several months, re-iterating this position and have offered to talk directly to the workers impacted, however, Wincanton prevented this happening.

“We have also reiterated this position to Unite, offering to talk directly to their members. 

“We shall continue to work with all parties involved to explore resolutions for those impacted.”

A spokesperson from Wincanton said: “We are acutely conscious of the uncertainty created for colleagues by this change.

“Since being informed of the loss of our contract Wincanton has done everything in our power to affect a smooth TUPE transfer to the new provider.”